Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay mows down the Boston Red Sox on Sunday afternoon. (Darren Calabrese/Canadian Press)
Toronto ace Roy Halladay ended his four-game winless streak on Sunday as the Blue Jays defeated the Boston Red Sox 3-1 at the Rogers Centre.
The Jays ace had some trouble early but settled in nicely down the stretch.
He went the distance, holding the Red Sox to only one run on six hits. Halladay (11-4) tallied seven strikeouts on the way to the win.
Boston lefty Jon Lester (8-7) almost matched Halladay pitch-for-pitch, throwing seven innings and giving up three runs on five hits and four walks.
Toronto catcher Rod Barajas drove in all three Blue Jay runs, two with a double in the second, and another with a sacrifice fly in the sixth.
Neither team looked very good with runners in scoring position. Toronto was 2-for-10, stranding seven, while Boston was 0-for-4 and left five men on base.
It's the first series win in six tries for Toronto, which last took one back in late June. The Jays are now 10 games back of the American League East-leading Red Sox.
Boston took an early lead off the Doc, as David Ortiz hit a sacrifice fly to score Dustin Pedroia, giving the Red Sox a 1-0 advantage before Toronto came to bat in the first inning.
But Toronto gained a lead it wouldn't relinquish in the bottom of the second when Barajas drove his double down the left-field line to bring home Lyle Overbay and Alex Rios, who were put on base by a couple of walks from Lester.
The Red Sox threatened again after the Jays took the lead when the top of the order came around in the third, but Halladay managed to retire both Ortiz and Jason Bay with runners in scoring position to end the threat.
Toronto loaded the bases in the fourth, but leadoff hitter Marco Scutaro grounded out and the Jays came up empty.
They would take advantage of their chance in the sixth, again thanks to Barajas. He hit a sac fly to deep centre field that scored Overbay from third, putting the Jays up 3-1.
Boston right-hander Manny Delcarmen came into the game for Lester in the eighth inning.
